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‘the story, or at any rate, a public version of it, was known and remembered’

‘I don't have any evidence of that, but at any rate his movement to do away with whatever he imported was started much earlier.’

‘The cure is simplicity itself, and in the neighbourhood of London, at any rate, could be carried out without any expense whatever.’

‘Great story for a kid at any rate, because kids love horrific things.’

‘If they are thus verified, such states may be taken to be universal, at any rate for human beings.’

‘Fortunately in England at any rate, education produces no effect whatsoever.’

‘The ones who turned up on the first day, which was I think most of the team, or most of the ones who turned up at any rate, haven't been punished?’

‘Nehru had an unusual capacity - unusual among politicians at any rate - to view both sides of the question.’

‘Also as usual, at any rate with Waters, there is a lesbian love story involved.’

‘Inevitably, some of the experts would be regarded, at any rate by some people, as even more distinguished than others.’

‘But the hardships are in practice not so serious as might appear, at any rate in the case of statements which are ex facie defamatory.’

at this (or that) rate

If matters continue in this or that way:

‘at this rate, I won't have a job to go back to’

‘This week is going to drag on for ever at this rate.’

‘Neither are ever likely to get finished at this rate; perhaps I'd be better off turning them into short stories or something.’

‘Mate, enjoy making fun of our columnists because they've only got a few years left at this rate…’

‘At that rate, bankers and expense account diners only need apply.’

‘But, in an e-mail to the executive committee, Mr Middleton claims there will be no students left at this rate.’

‘Plus I can do it whilst continuing on with Season 6 of The X-Files on video as I'm never going to get it fiinshed at this rate!’

‘I'll probably end up stabbed in a gutter somewhere at this rate.’

‘Still, it would be pretty hard to include ‘computer consultant’ on my business card at this rate.’

‘We were going to have no chairs left at all, at this rate.’

‘Heck, at this rate, they'll be bringing back disco and the polyester leisure suit.’

‘So, at this rate, the goal of universal basic education could be attained by 2006: nine years ahead of schedule.’

rate of return

The annual income from an investment expressed as a proportion (usually a percentage) of the original investment.

‘In order to do that, the tax system must let savers earn the full gross rate of return on their investments.’

‘These results show a very high private rate of return to investment in tertiary education.’

‘The standard story of entry and exit leads to a long-run equilibrium in which all firms earn only a normal rate of return on investment.’

‘Because of the time value of money, the longer the person lives, the lower the rate of return on the investment.’

‘This steepness indicates a large rate of return from transferring income from the young to the old.’

‘There is a huge problem with the simple assumption that your expected annual rate of return is the same each and every year.’

‘We do not actually attempt to get, say, a 10 percent real rate of return on the investment in our roading system.’

‘It is because the interest deduction impacts an investor's after-tax rate of return.’

‘It will also use the money for financing investments that will produce a better rate of return than the interest it will have to pay on its new loan notes.’

‘It has a high equity content of 80 per cent and a good rate of return.’

Origin

Late Middle English (expressing a notion of ‘estimated value’): from Old French, from medieval Latin rata (from Latin pro rata parte (or portione) according to the proportional share), from ratus reckoned, past participle of reri.